Hawaii News Now

Sunrise 4:30 a.m. More Oahu businesses are preparing to reopen their doors for the first time in months. Plus, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has canceled a controversial park project in Waimanalo.

Hawaii reported 18 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the largest single-day jump in two months.

The state is reporting 18 new COVID-19 cases Thursday on Oahu, in the biggest single-day jump in two months.

The spike comes after several days of smaller gains, but as public health officials continue to track clusters in Central Oahu, Honolulu and at a skilled nursing facility in Makiki.

The new cases bring to 762 the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 1. Of those, at least 640 have been released from isolation after recovering.

The state Health Department said Thursday that the increase was “expected” as the economy continues to reopen.

On Friday, several higher-risk businesses on Oahu ― including bars, movie theaters and gyms ― will be allowed to welcome customers back.

“This spike in cases and other recent daily spikes have been expected as people begin to move around more freely and more businesses are reopening,” said Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist, in a news release.

Firefighters first responded around 3 a.m. to a building on Prospect Street in Kalaeloa.

Health experts are growing increasingly concerned about a cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to the state’s largest skilled nursing facility.

When the coronavirus flared in China this week, the country canceled flights, suspended reopenings and described the situation as “extremely grave.” But with cases rising in some U.S. states, local officials have balked at even requiring people to wear masks.

In the United States, which has the most reported cases and deaths in the world, authorities are wrestling with balancing demands for constitutional rights and personal freedom with warnings from health officials that being lax will have deadly consequences.

More than 20 states are reporting an increase in coronavirus cases. Plus, states will soon be required to collect race and ethnicity data of patients being tested for COVID-19.

The city has added $25 million in federal stimulus funds to a small business recovery program after the first $25 million was nearly depleted in less than a month.

After two and a half months of mostly empty airports in Hawaii, the state ended 14-day mandatory quarantine for inter-island travelers Tuesday.

Instead, the Hawaii State Department of Health is requiring all passengers and crew members to fill out a new travel and health form before they board their flight.

Travelers can print and fill out the new two-page document at home. The health information should be completed within 24 hours of the scheduled departure.

After passengers check-in at the airport, a Hawaii National Guard member will make sure no one's temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees.

Researchers in England believe they found a drug that could improve the survival rate for certain COVID-19 patients. Plus, President Trump is set to sign an executive order today addressing police reform.